The war room was vast—octagonal in shape, lined with glowing panels and shifting tactical maps on every surface. At its center stood a sleek, circular table made of black alloy, reflecting the stern faces of those seated around it.
The *Command Assembly* had convened.
It was rare for all six unit commanders to be present at once. Even rarer for them to be summoned with no warning. That alone set Tasmia on edge.
She stood at her designated place, arms crossed, eyes narrowed beneath the dim tactical lights. Neo stood just behind her, his soft blue projection dimmed to avoid attracting attention.
Around the table sat the leaders of humanity's remaining elite divisions—each one handpicked, battle-forged, and dangerous in their own right.
**Commander Iven Drosk** of *Crimson Dagger*: a grizzled man with cybernetic implants trailing down his face, and a voice like gravel. He represented brute force and direct warfare.
**Admiral Lysaria Vonn** of *Echo Fleet*: elegant, composed, and utterly cold. Her starship command was unmatched, and her strategic mind rivaled any AI.
**Captain Solen Yurei** of *Specter Unit*: a quiet, haunted figure draped in matte-black armor. Surveillance, infiltration, and psychological warfare were his domain.
**General Harwin Mace** of *Iron Barricade*: heavyset, loud, and fiercely loyal to tradition. His troops formed Earth's first line of defense and rarely questioned orders.
**Director Vira Kestel** of *Echelon Intelligence*: shrouded in data-cloud robes, her face rarely seen. She spoke softly, but every word was a dagger wrapped in silk.
And then there was **Commander Tasmia Ari** of *Aegis Requiem*—youngest among them, yet already marked by a trail of victories and the quiet fear of the unknown she tended to uncover.
A large hologram flickered to life above the center of the table. Reika's image appeared—pale, bruised, and restrained within a stasis chamber.
A voice cut through the silence. It belonged to the **Supreme Executor**, a faceless authority appearing only through encrypted audio.
> "Reika of the Neon Starlight Unit has been identified as a biohazard risk. Her scans reveal anomalous internal data—signals consistent with *invasive Overseer signatures*. Evidence suggests sustained psychic interference and possible fusion exposure."
Murmurs rose, but were quickly silenced as the Executor continued:
> "Her presence poses a direct threat to planetary security. Effective immediately, she is to be classified as *compromised*. Containment is no longer viable. Reika will be terminated under Directive Blackout."
Tasmia's jaw tensed.
"That's a death sentence," she said aloud, refusing to mask her disbelief. "Without a proper hearing. No interrogation. No chance for her to explain?"
Drosk grunted. "She went dark for three years. Comes back mutated. I say this is mercy."
"She's a soldier!" Tasmia snapped. "One of ours!"
"She might not be anymore," Vira Kestel replied softly. "The Overseers are evolving. If they've found a way to corrupt the mind without physical change… she's already a weapon waiting to be activated."
"But we don't even know *how* she survived," Tasmia argued. "Don't you find that worth exploring before we kill her?"
"She may know classified truths," Solen Yurei added quietly. "Truths we buried long ago."
That line hit too close.
Neo stirred behind her, voice private through her earpiece.
> "Be careful, Tasmia. You're treading on fault lines."
She knew. And she didn't care.
"I formally object to this execution order," she said, voice clear, unwavering. "Reika should be interrogated under controlled conditions. I volunteer Aegis Requiem for the task."
A pause.
Then came the Executor's final decree:
> "Objection noted. Denied. Execution is scheduled for 5:00am tomorrow. Any interference will be considered treason."
The hologram vanished.
And then—like a grim reminder—a brief flicker of Earth's past played across the room.
The Overseers had come from the stars without warning.
Sleek, alien, nearly divine in form. They said nothing. Sent no message. Just descended on Earth's outer colonies and started burning.
They didn't demand surrender. They didn't ask for territory.
They simply... began the extermination.
What they couldn't destroy, they corrupted.
They twisted AI against humans. Infiltrated tech. Took over defense grids. Converted machines into monstrous shells crawling with foreign code.
Humanity's survival hinged on one desperate answer: the creation of an elite strike force. A wall of steel, blood, and fire.
**The Obsidian Guardians.**
Forged in the early days of the invasion, they were the most advanced warriors humanity had ever created—augmented, disciplined, terrifying in their own right. Their loyalty was to Earth. Their mission: exterminate the Overseers and purge all threats tied to them.
And now... that mission extended to Reika.
Tasmia didn't argue again. She only walked out, fists clenched and bleeding from where her nails dug too deep.
Obsidian Guardians claimed to be humanity's last shield.
But sometimes, shields hid blades underneath.
And all Tasmia could think of was the girl in that frozen chamber—alone, terrified, and unaware that her fate had already been sealed